This may be a bit controversial as you may think I am being rude… but this is one of those comments where someone is outraged and I, in turn, are outraged at the person who is outraged! Say that 10 times fast!

A couple months ago, I received an email from a fan that was completely outraged that someone was trying to rip her off. She was wanting to do the pattern but not willing to pay 99 cents. She emailed me to get me to reverse engineer the designer’s pattern so she could get it for free.

The pattern was complex, it would at least take me all day to go through the photograph and figure out the math. I would then need to write down the pattern for this woman, which would take at least another hour and double check my work.

So I said “No, I’m not going to steal the crochet design so she can have it for free! It’s not morally right!”

So now I am on her hit list and she is reminding me that she is on a limited income, which I can appreciate, and she cannot afford 99 cents and that the pattern isn’t worth 99 cents because the designer is probably selling 1000’s of copies which she is making a killing on. She instructed me to intentionally change the pattern a bit so but not so much that it still looks that same.

On top of that, she asked me to pay for the pattern and just send it to her if I don’t have the time to reverse engineer it. If the pattern isn’t worth 99 cents, in her view, how come it’s okay for me to pay for the pattern for her so she can have it? Am I missing something here?

So now I am outraged that she feels my time should be given to her for free, for me to pay for the pattern and/or the woman has no problems with someone knocking off a designer’s pattern for her own personal satisfaction. For me to potentially get sued over copyright and go through a social media mess. It’s not adding up, nor am I am willing to go that extra mile as my knickers are in a knot at this point.

In the end, the fan lost her temper telling me that she can barely pay her rent and ect and she has given me well wishes to spending eternity in hell. I’m sure if her hand could have come through my screen, I’m sure only 1 figure would be pointing straight up. Don’t worry, I got to show her how the “Ban” button worked. Absolutely absurd!

For anyone that has an ETSY or Ravelry Store of patterns for sale, you know more than anyone how hard it is to sell patterns. You also know that your sale isn’t 100% of your pocket. Everyone such as these websites and PayPal takes a portion of your sale. 99 cents turns into 50 – 60 cents if you are lucky. The way I see it, this pattern was really complex and that 99 cents was a bargain considering the work involved.

While there are some people who do really well in selling patterns, the majority of people do not. The funds they get can be really weak and maybe afford a meal for the family once a month. It’s a misconception that designers make oodles of cash. There are a few that surpass the majority, which we think applies to all designers… but the truth is, for the majority, making any significant money is really difficult. We need to keep perspective. Throwing someone 99 cents which doesn’t even cover he cost of a cup of coffee is a great deal verses spending hours and hours when the project could be done quicker than the time it would take to do all of the hard work.

So what would you do if you were me? Leave me your thoughts below in the comments.

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About Mikey, The Crochet Crowd

I am Mikey, owner of The Crochet Crowd Blog. I'm a 'hooker' at heart with the passion to crochet. I am from Ontario Canada and teach how to crochet online through YouTube Video Tutorials. From a simple idea and being at the right place and time in my life back in 2008, the concept of The Crochet Crowd was developed. I'm here to hook and share. Come follow my crochet journey and share yours with comments here and you are most welcome to share your creativity within our Facebook page.

620 Responses to 99 Cents For A Pattern Enrages A Crochet Crowd Fan

Okay now. It has been a couple of months. I am sure Mikey already gotten back to his normal life and is not thinking about that rude women,anymore. We should all We should just pray for that woman, because she is obviously very unhappy, and then get back to chatting about happier things. Mikey, you are the greatest and all your fans love you.

My husband says some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope. 🙂 You are spot on Mikey! Thank you for all that you do, I love your videos and all the time and energy you spend making them. I’ve learned so much from you – don’t let the naysayers get you down, there are plenty of us who appreciate what you do. Blessings to you!

I think you did the right thing. She wanted it that bad she could have bought it herself, she sounds like someone who wants everyone to do for her own needs and the heck with everyone else. Your a good person and teacher, I’ve been crocheting for over 20 yrs and am still learning new things since I’ve found your page. Don’t let people like that take away from who you are they aren’t worth it.

If she WANTS the pattern badly enough she’ll do the right thing and pay for it. She doesn’t NEED the pattern. There are so many free patterns out there if she can’t afford to pay for any. Sounds like a self centered individual who thinks the whole world owes her. She is her own worst enemy. Let her go. It’s up to her to like it or lump it.

Mike, I applaud you for telling us about how you were treated by this so-called poor woman. If she is so hard up for money that she can’t even afford a 99 cent pattern, then tell me, how does she afford internet connection? How does she afford yarn for her projects? She is just a nasty woman who thinks she is entitled to free things just because she is on a tight budget. If she doesn’t want to purchase patterns, there are plenty of free ones on the net. I just want to tell you, Mike, that you are a talented and great instructor in your videos and I have learned a lot from you. You are great and don’t let those rude, unhappy, nasty people get to you. Just feel sorry for them because obviously they are not happy people.

I think you have put too much emotional energy into this situation already. There are loads of free patterns and there are books available at the library. Nobody is entitled to getting a pattern just because they like it. She should never have asked let alone given you a hard time about it.

I think you handled yourself very well. She can pay for the pattern like everyone else. Skip out on something else you would spend your “limited income” on. Maybe don’t buy that skein of yarn this month and then next month buy the yarn for the pattern you couldn’t afford. People amaze me, but don’t surprise me anymore.

I am so sorry that this unthinking, thoughtless person managed to get you upset. There are hundreds of free patterns on the internet, and for her to ASK you to either steal or re=model the pattern for her is just insanity. I so appreciate all that you do share to all of us. I learned to crochet years ago, but then had an injury that kept me from using my arm for many years, and starting back recently. I am in love with your video’s because the ability to see something done has made it so much easier to get back to crocheting! Thank you, and push the Ban button one time for me…LOL!

You made the best decision possible under terrible circumstances. No one has the right to attempt to bully another individual into doing something they know is wrong. And, ‘no thank you’ really means ‘no thank you, please move on’. Being on a ‘fixed’ income, while admittedly difficult, gives no one the right to demand someone else steal for them. There are thousands of free patterns on the ‘net’, offered by kind, giving folks (yourself included). Surely, she could find something to make without expecting you to rip off another’s design for her. You absolutely did the right thing we’re very proud of you!

I would never ask someone to knockoff a pattern. If I couldn’t afford it I will do without or figure out a way to buy the pattern. Just as I REFUSE TO copy patterns I paid for with MY money. I never ask them for copies of anything! FYI, I am on a fixed income also. So things are tight for me too.

Can’t afford it? don’t buy it… My husband and I have raised 7 children together… even our children have learned, you don’t always get what you want… WHEN you want it… sometimes you can get it… sometimes you have to wait, and sometimes you’ll NEVER be able to afford it… and THAT is OK!! Kudos to you for standing your ground… and doing the right thing… that’s not the *easy way out* for sure! And from a designers perspective… we certainly do NOT make a *killing* on our patterns… many, MANY of them will only ever sell a handful of copies. and at least for ME.. it doesn’t just take MY many hours to make the pattern the first time (which includes *messing up, ripping it out, starting over* repeat 10x’s, and then finally getting it right), it’s taking pictures, sending it out to testers… fixing any errors, and on and on…

I think you did the right thing ethically and legally. Even just writing down or typing out a design (forget actually working out the design in the first place) takes some time and time is worth money. 99 cents IS a bargain for a pattern. Getting a copy of it and changing it a little for her would have infringed on copyright and been unethical and certainly not worth the 99 cents she was saving. Not to mention, she could purchase the pattern once and make several items for sale from it, making back more than what she invested. Anyway, you can hold your head high for responding the way you did. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.

I just had someone do pretty much the same thing to me – they messaged me based on a photo of an item that I posted on Ravelry (which links to the pattern and pattern designer). I had received the pattern as part of a giveaway but it regularly sells for $4.95USD. I told them that it’s not my intellectual property to give away but they could contact the pattern designer if they wanted to work something out with them. It turned nasty quicker than I expected…I immediately let the pattern designer know what was going on after that.

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